I Loved Her First
by Irish Valkyrie
Summary: Sometimes, the hardest thing is letting go...Even when you knew it was comming all along. HH


**Disclaimer:** If J.K. Rowling had a penny for every time someone said "I own nothing of Harry Potter", she'd be a rich woman. Er…a rich_er_ woman. Well, I just made her a penny richer so…

**I Loved Her First**

_By: Irish Valkyrie_

**A/N:** Okay, I heard this song and I just had to come up with a little oneshot to fit it. It's such a gorgeous song; it would have been a waste to ignore it. As all (two) of my stories are, this is a Harry/Hermione fic. If you don't like it, don't read it. And just so you know, I haven't quit working on Second Chances, so no worries. As a matter of fact, the next chapter will be up on September 29th, so make sure to read it.

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_Christmas—7th year:_

Thomas Granger stood on the platform 9 and ¾ waiting anxiously for his daughter to appear. It was crowded and he was worried that he wouldn't be able to spot her among all the people milling around.

He saw a flash of lovely brown curls and released the pent up breath he had been holding. Thomas heard the sound of her laughter, clear and pure, and felt the corners of his mouth tug into a smile. She was okay. She was happy, healthy, and whole. He'd been so worried with all the Death Eater attacks that he'd nearly refused to let her return to school.

He was all set to call out to her (knowing that she hadn't yet spotted him), when a large black haired man came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. His jaw nearly dropped to the floor when his daughter, instead of turning around and telling the man to shove off, turned around and kissed him hard.

Thomas stood there speechless as Hermione and the dark haired man made their way toward him. He couldn't believe what he had just seen. Hermione had never said anything about a boyfriend, so who was she kissing in front of the whole world?

Suddenly spotting him, Hermione called out "Daddy!"

His shock and disbelief melted away as he wrapped his arms around his daughter. _Probably best not to make any assumptions_, he thought._ And even if I do make assumptions, she's seventeen now and an adult in her world. It's her life and I have to remember that._ Somehow, he knew that was easier thought than done.

"How've you been sweetheart?"

"Great Daddy, just great. You remember Harry don't you? I told you I was bringing a friend for the holiday."

_Harry?_ Mr. Granger thought. _This is that short, scrawny, pale, little kid I met years ago? I guess time really does change everything._ It had been several years since Thomas had seen the boy, and during that time, the boy had grown into a man.

Suddenly feeling more at ease now that he knew the stranger was a man to be trusted, Mr. Granger held out his hand for Harry to shake.

"A pleasure to meet you Harry. I've heard nothing but good things about you."

Hermione grinned up at Harry as he blushed and said, "Thank you Mr. Granger."

Thomas weighed the boy silently for a while before finally nodding.

"Call me Thomas, Harry."

"Yes sir."

Mr. Granger rolled his eyes in exasperation and grinned at Hermione who was giggling behind her hand.

"Is he always this thick headed?"

Now Hermione laughed out right, nodding as she did so.

"Well, let's get going," Mr. Granger said. "Your mother's waiting and we have plans for tonight."

"What plans?" Hermione asked, curious as always.

"You'll just have to wait and see," was her father's cryptic response.

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The plans turned out to be dinner and dancing, and what a fantastic dinner it had been. Harry had gotten along really well with both Grangers, which was a good thing considering he was dating their only daughter.

Now, the senior Granger's were sitting at their table, watching the younger couple dance. Thomas felt a pang in his heart as he realized that he had lost his little girl to the boy she was dancing with.

_**Look at the two of you dancing that way  
Lost in the moment and each others face**_

It was in the way they moved together. He simply knew, with his father's gut, that his daughter was in love with Harry. And if he didn't miss his guess, Harry was just as in love with Hermione.

_  
**So much in love you're alone in this place  
Like there's nobody else in the world**_

Thomas watched his daughter dancing and remembered a time not long ago when she had been much smaller, and he had been the only man in her life.

**_I was enough for her not long ago  
I was her number one  
She told me so  
And she still means the world to me  
Just so you know  
So be careful when you hold my girl_**

Now, he realized that, sooner or later, he was going to have to relinquish his claim on her. It was hard to watch his daughter gaze at Harry with that love struck look in her eyes, but he would do it. For her.

**_Time changes everything  
Life must go on  
And I'm not gonna stand in your way_**

Thomas Granger grinned slightly to himself._ She was mine first,_ he thought, watching the way Harry kissed her lightly and laid a possessive hand on her lower back. He admitted to himself that she was Harry's now.

**_But I loved her first and I held her first  
And a place in my heart will always be hers_**

Thomas suddenly remembered the day she had been born. He hadn't been able to believe that the tiny miracle he was holding was of his loins. His chest had swelled with so much love and pride he had been afraid it would burst.

_**  
From the first breath she breathed  
When she first smiled at me  
I knew the love of a father runs deep**_

Mr. Granger picked up his glass of wine and silently toasted the couple swaying gently in each other's arms. He was happy she'd found the right man. Really.

_**  
And I prayed that she'd find you someday  
But it still hard to give her away  
I loved her first**_

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_Three months after Graduation:_

Mr. Granger watched, with tears in his eyes as his daughter gazed up into Harry's face and said "I do."

She was so beautiful, up there in her white dress. She looked so happy and radiant. Memories flashed through his mind. Pictures of Hermione when she was three, playing on a swing. And when she was five reading a book. Hundreds of memories, one right after the other.**_  
_**  
**_How could that beautiful woman with you  
Be the same freckle face kid that I knew  
The one that I read all those fairy tales to  
And tucked into bed all those nights_**

And overlaid on them all, was the image of his daughter accepting the ring Harry placed on her finger and kissing her husband. Her _husband_.

_**  
And I knew the first time I saw you with her  
It was only a matter of time**_

It was finished. She was no longer his little girl, no longer Hermione Granger. She was his wife now, she was Hermione Potter…Mrs. Harry Potter.**_  
_**  
**_But I loved her first and I held her first  
And a place in my heart will always be hers  
From the first breath she breathed  
When she first smiled at me  
I knew the love of a father runs deep_**

An hour later, as Thomas danced with his daughter, he thought of all the times they had spent together.

**_  
And I prayed that she'd find you someday  
But it's still hard to give her away  
I loved her first_**

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_One year later:_

Harry gripped Hermione's hand tightly and felt his guts twist as she let out another piercing scream.

"Just one more!" The doctor said, shouting over her screams.

"Just one more sweetheart," Harry said, kissing her forehead.

"Harry, I don't want to do this anymore. It hurts so much. Please make the pain go away."

"One more love, just one more good push."

"But I don't want to—AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH." Whatever Hermione had been about to say was cut off by another loud scream. But this time it was joined by another. A tiny wail pierced the room.

Harry's face lit up and Hermione smiled in gratitude and relief.

"You have a little girl Mrs. Potter."

"A girl," Harry said, stunned. They had refused to know the gender until the baby was born. "We have a daughter Hermione, a little girl."

The doctor came over just then with the small pink bundle. She carefully laid the baby in Hermione's arms.

"What's her name?" the doctor asked softly.

Harry looked into Hermione's eyes for conformation and then said, "Hallie. Hallie Ann Potter."

"Congratulations you two, on the birth of your healthy daughter." The doctor said, and then left for her next appointment while the nurses finished up.

"You have to go tell everyone now," Hermione said, her voice a weak croak.

Harry nodded and raced out of the room. He didn't want to be away from his girls for any longer than was absolutely necessary.

"It's a girl!" He shouted into the waiting room, and then sprinted back.

The whole room gave whoops of laughter and joy, and then slowly followed Harry down the hall. The Weasleys were all there plus several members (meaning that everyone but Ron and Ginny had married). So were the Grangers (of course), the Lupins (Remus and Tonks), Dumbledore, and McGonagall.

The majority of them made their way down the hall to the viewing room, but for a brief moment, Thomas paused at the window to his daughter's room.

Hermione was sitting, propped up in bed, with a large smile on her face as she gazed at Harry holding their tiny daughter.

There was such a wealth of love in her eyes that it made his own tear up. Mr. Granger smiled sadly, remembering what it had been like for him.

_**From the first breath she breathed  
When she first smiled at me  
I knew the love of a father runs deep  
**_

He looked at Harry and saw the amazement, the sheer joy on his face. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Mr. Granger made his way slowly down the hallway.**_  
_**  
**_Someday you might know what I'm going through  
When a miracle smiles up at you_**

"I love you," Mr. Granger whispered. Unknown to him, at the exact same moment in another room, Harry Potter had just whispered the same words to his tiny daughter.

_**I loved her first**_

**A/N: **Okay, so what did you guys think? I want to hear about it in your reviews. If I get a lot of nice juicy ones, I promise I'll write a sequel. What do you think? Is it worth a few moments of your time?


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